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サマーゴースト [Summer Ghost] #1-2
Summer Ghost: The Complete Manga Collection
Based on the critically acclaimed animated short film about three high schoolers’ supernatural coming-of-age–and don’t miss the light novel, also from Seven Seas!
According to urban legend, there’s an abandoned airfield on the edge of town where a spirit known as the Summer Ghost can be summoned. After discovering each other on the internet, three teenagers from different high schools who share a special connection to death meet up to summon the mysterious specter. Thus begins a story that will bridge the boundary between life and death on a midsummer night that none of them will ever forget.
According to urban legend, there’s an abandoned airfield on the edge of town where a spirit known as the Summer Ghost can be summoned. After discovering each other on the internet, three teenagers from different high schools who share a special connection to death meet up to summon the mysterious specter. Thus begins a story that will bridge the boundary between life and death on a midsummer night that none of them will ever forget.
392 pages, Paperback
Published August 8, 2023
17 people are currently reading
716 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
June 14, 2024
*ouch* my heart //3
September 24, 2023
This was a beautiful and touching story about three young people all dealing with their own hardships, coming together, and healing.
I liked the simple art style and, even though I have not yet watched the movie, looking at images of the characters in the animated form, I tend to like their manga version better.
It has a wonderful message of empathy and hope and a melancholy you will feel on every page. I think the most impactful scene is near the end of the story, where two characters have a confrontation - one of them has had thoughts of suicide for a long time, and the other is dying due to an illness- and the pain in each of them is so palpable, so real you cannot help but tear up. The sick person tells the other that they are selfish for throwing their life away because of something as trivial as bullying. They think it's cowardly and a waste. Meanwhile, the other character says that they have no place to criticise them for this choice. They have no idea how bad it hurts and how lonely they've been.
I think this scene illustrates the message and theme of the story perfectly. People have different lives and experiences, different pain thresholds. Something that would break one person could be nothing to another. It's important to always be kind, empathetic, and patient.
I liked the simple art style and, even though I have not yet watched the movie, looking at images of the characters in the animated form, I tend to like their manga version better.
It has a wonderful message of empathy and hope and a melancholy you will feel on every page. I think the most impactful scene is near the end of the story, where two characters have a confrontation - one of them has had thoughts of suicide for a long time, and the other is dying due to an illness- and the pain in each of them is so palpable, so real you cannot help but tear up. The sick person tells the other that they are selfish for throwing their life away because of something as trivial as bullying. They think it's cowardly and a waste. Meanwhile, the other character says that they have no place to criticise them for this choice. They have no idea how bad it hurts and how lonely they've been.
I think this scene illustrates the message and theme of the story perfectly. People have different lives and experiences, different pain thresholds. Something that would break one person could be nothing to another. It's important to always be kind, empathetic, and patient.
August 15, 2023
[CW: suicidal ideation, bullying]
Three random teens, Tomoya, Aoi, and Ryo, meet up and go in search of the Summer Ghost, a spirit who appears at an airfield. When they meet her, it turns out that she only appears to those who wish to know death and this trio has more in common than a mere ghost story.
This is a very good story that cusps on being great, but is unfortunately hamstrung by being a movie adaptation. I like the characters, I like the premise, I like where it goes, but it bottles it in certain aspects that drag it down a smidgen, likely to fit into its cinematic running length.
The three leads are a good fit for one another and each is suffering in their own way. One is being destroyed by expectations, one is being relentlessly bullied, and another has very little time left. It makes sense that they would go ghost hunting and bond, just because they have nothing left otherwise.
And it’s very believable how they all become fast friends, but are prone to lying to one another and themselves over just how ‘fine’ everything is. They’re constantly trying to put their best feet forward and inevitably tripping themselves up.
Turning the Summer Ghost into an actual character was another smart touch, although they leave a lot on the table with her. It’s probably not fair of me to lay into an adaptation, except it’s kind of annoying how things play out when they aren’t given enough time.
Ayane, said ghost, might not have killed herself as everybody thinks and I guarantee that you have already guessed the truth here but not how infuriatingly little they do with it. It’s mostly to deepen her bond with Tomoya, but even that could use a touch of shojo manga classic Yurara.
Tomoya is probably the person with the most interesting story and, as it happens, probably the most drive to kill themselves. His experience is basically one of being crushed by parental expectations and it’s quite good, even if his mom mashes the villainy button a little too hard.
Aoi, meanwhile, is being bullied and her situation is very grimly presented, as befits the subject matter, and she’s the one who gets thrown the biggest lifeline by the trio coming together. Some of her insights are quite brutal and she can explain her desire to end her own life with depressing aplomb.
And Ryo is the one with the most to live for, but the least time to actually be alive. He’s the most cheerful, but this is pretty obviously an act and he keeps pushing away his old friends even has he embraces these new ones, to an extent.
And so we explore these four souls as they learn to appreciate life or don’t and we get the expected lessons about treasuring the time you have left to yourself. It makes some great points and has some solid lines, but it’s doing too much and that leads it to underwhelm once it reaches the ending.
Ayane is woefully underdeveloped and winds up feeling like more of a catalyst than a real part of anything. The way the conflicts get resolved is really limp in most cases - Tomoya somehow does something (whatever his outcome, how he gets there does not benefit from being so nebulous) and the resolution of Aoi’s bullying is so thin that it’s practically diaphanous.
Ryo gets the most definitive resolution only because of the inevitability of his story’s conclusion, but I will give that it’s rather neatly done, even if nothing here tugs the heartstrings the way I think it wants to. The story seems to go for the wrong things to use as the climax pretty much every time.
That’s not a great batting average. The points the story raises are important, the way it has three different, yet similar, perspectives on death is quite strong, but then it doesn’t do enough with them. It’s a long walk for very little payoff, even if the bones of the story (whoops) are strong. In the moment it’s fine, but it needs to clinch the ending to excel and it does not.
4 stars - the meat is pretty good, but the bread holding this one together is… not so much. It’s a real case of all bark and no tree and the lack of a satisfying resolution to some of the storylines really brings the conclusion as a whole down with it. Worthwhile, but definitely a flawed piece of work.
Three random teens, Tomoya, Aoi, and Ryo, meet up and go in search of the Summer Ghost, a spirit who appears at an airfield. When they meet her, it turns out that she only appears to those who wish to know death and this trio has more in common than a mere ghost story.
This is a very good story that cusps on being great, but is unfortunately hamstrung by being a movie adaptation. I like the characters, I like the premise, I like where it goes, but it bottles it in certain aspects that drag it down a smidgen, likely to fit into its cinematic running length.
The three leads are a good fit for one another and each is suffering in their own way. One is being destroyed by expectations, one is being relentlessly bullied, and another has very little time left. It makes sense that they would go ghost hunting and bond, just because they have nothing left otherwise.
And it’s very believable how they all become fast friends, but are prone to lying to one another and themselves over just how ‘fine’ everything is. They’re constantly trying to put their best feet forward and inevitably tripping themselves up.
Turning the Summer Ghost into an actual character was another smart touch, although they leave a lot on the table with her. It’s probably not fair of me to lay into an adaptation, except it’s kind of annoying how things play out when they aren’t given enough time.
Ayane, said ghost, might not have killed herself as everybody thinks and I guarantee that you have already guessed the truth here but not how infuriatingly little they do with it. It’s mostly to deepen her bond with Tomoya, but even that could use a touch of shojo manga classic Yurara.
Tomoya is probably the person with the most interesting story and, as it happens, probably the most drive to kill themselves. His experience is basically one of being crushed by parental expectations and it’s quite good, even if his mom mashes the villainy button a little too hard.
Aoi, meanwhile, is being bullied and her situation is very grimly presented, as befits the subject matter, and she’s the one who gets thrown the biggest lifeline by the trio coming together. Some of her insights are quite brutal and she can explain her desire to end her own life with depressing aplomb.
And Ryo is the one with the most to live for, but the least time to actually be alive. He’s the most cheerful, but this is pretty obviously an act and he keeps pushing away his old friends even has he embraces these new ones, to an extent.
And so we explore these four souls as they learn to appreciate life or don’t and we get the expected lessons about treasuring the time you have left to yourself. It makes some great points and has some solid lines, but it’s doing too much and that leads it to underwhelm once it reaches the ending.
Ayane is woefully underdeveloped and winds up feeling like more of a catalyst than a real part of anything. The way the conflicts get resolved is really limp in most cases - Tomoya somehow does something (whatever his outcome, how he gets there does not benefit from being so nebulous) and the resolution of Aoi’s bullying is so thin that it’s practically diaphanous.
Ryo gets the most definitive resolution only because of the inevitability of his story’s conclusion, but I will give that it’s rather neatly done, even if nothing here tugs the heartstrings the way I think it wants to. The story seems to go for the wrong things to use as the climax pretty much every time.
That’s not a great batting average. The points the story raises are important, the way it has three different, yet similar, perspectives on death is quite strong, but then it doesn’t do enough with them. It’s a long walk for very little payoff, even if the bones of the story (whoops) are strong. In the moment it’s fine, but it needs to clinch the ending to excel and it does not.
4 stars - the meat is pretty good, but the bread holding this one together is… not so much. It’s a real case of all bark and no tree and the lack of a satisfying resolution to some of the storylines really brings the conclusion as a whole down with it. Worthwhile, but definitely a flawed piece of work.
June 25, 2025
4.5/5 stars. Oh, I’m so sad. :(
January 27, 2024
This is beautiful, probably not as creepy as I would have liked but it is a lovely story. I love these characters. The end is heartbreaking and for more than just one character. But I do love the little ghost holding the scythe keychain. So cute! I'll have to find the anime.
October 2, 2023
I haven't seen the movie so this manga is my only exposure to these characters. I think it's beautifully done, for the time that it has, and I'll admit to having a lump in my throat by the ending. The despair is palpable. The character study we get for each of them takes priority over the greater plot and how it all gets resolved, but that's honestly ok. The point, to me, is about them, how they relate to each other, and what they learn about themselves and each other. Just because someone is smart or smiling or planning a trip doesn't mean they aren't battling some dark metaphorical demons. This isn't a scary book, so I didn't mark it as horror.
January 18, 2025
Summer Ghost is a beautifully touching story that adds well to the short film it is based on but would not rank as high if a stand-alone piece. 3.5/5
While a retelling, the collection takes a different narrative approach from the original source. The story unravels linearly and gradually, while the film establishes more context upfront. This alters how the characters' backstories are revealed and shows different sides to their relationships with one another and themselves
This overall paints the characters differently: Tomoya is more distant, Aio more timid and Ryo more turbulent. All three come off as less self-aware and less articulate, which in a way, offers a unique look at the characters (that is more befitting of teenagers).
The biggest criticism I have is that the "summer ghost" plays less of an active role, which was a bit disenchanting.
While a retelling, the collection takes a different narrative approach from the original source. The story unravels linearly and gradually, while the film establishes more context upfront. This alters how the characters' backstories are revealed and shows different sides to their relationships with one another and themselves
This overall paints the characters differently: Tomoya is more distant, Aio more timid and Ryo more turbulent. All three come off as less self-aware and less articulate, which in a way, offers a unique look at the characters (that is more befitting of teenagers).
The biggest criticism I have is that the "summer ghost" plays less of an active role, which was a bit disenchanting.
December 31, 2024
fucking sad
September 9, 2024
Cried. Tragically amazing.
September 22, 2024
i really enjoyed this manga!! the story was very interesting and i loved the three main characters!! they all had their own issues, and even though i am sad that the manga wasn't longer to elaborate about their lives a bit more, it was long enough to make me emotional and care for them ;w;
definitely worty a read, and it has a strong message and an interesting topic. very well written manga, which is an adaptation from a short movie. loved the artwork as well♡
definitely worty a read, and it has a strong message and an interesting topic. very well written manga, which is an adaptation from a short movie. loved the artwork as well♡
April 23, 2024
I cried 🫶
2024 reread: I cried again🫶
2024 reread: I cried again🫶
June 13, 2024
I picked this up thinking it would be a nice, cute, little summer read. I was kinda wrong about that haha although I did really enjoy it. Loved getting to know these characters and resonating with their unique types of pain as their complicated relationships played out. The ending did make me cry a little, which to me is an indication of good storytelling lol. The artwork is fantastic too. I want to see the short now although it’s a shame it wasn’t made into a feature length film; I could imagine it being really stunning in theaters if done right.
November 17, 2024
Ah man. Hits in the feels. I love reading these deep, heavy, depressing, and real-themed mangas (and books) in the lens of CHRIST. It makes these stories actually mean something to me and become very convicting. The four different characters and approaches of death and life were very heavy and real, and changing the perspective as life should be viewed in CHRIST, impacts me a lot more. I always need my JESUS time and wholesome stories after heavy ones like this haha. I recommend though, it was good. A much needed heavy story again to convict me.
June 21, 2025
"But the only thing on our minds that day was death."
The manga version of Summer Ghost ; I'd read the novel adaptation some time ago and enjoyed how bittersweet and melancholy it was. The manga version fleshes out the characters considerably more, and it's a different take on the story in some ways... I think the novelization is more satisfying thematically, but maybe it's because I read that version first. Or maybe I prefer the novelization's more bittersweet tone via Otsuichi's writing.
Still a solid manga!
The manga version of Summer Ghost ; I'd read the novel adaptation some time ago and enjoyed how bittersweet and melancholy it was. The manga version fleshes out the characters considerably more, and it's a different take on the story in some ways... I think the novelization is more satisfying thematically, but maybe it's because I read that version first. Or maybe I prefer the novelization's more bittersweet tone via Otsuichi's writing.
Still a solid manga!
July 24, 2024
Uno stile pulito e delicato per una serie di due volumi che ti strazia il cuore, sto piangendo.
Tre liceali si danno appuntamento in un aerodromo abbandonato per accendere dei fuochi d'artificio e incontrare così il fantasma dell'estate, ovvero lo spirito di una giovane donna che, si dice, sia morta suicida.
Da quel momento le esistenze dei tre ragazzi e del fantasma si intrecciano indissolubilmente, fino al doloroso finale, perché il fantasma dell'estate si mostra solo a chi sta per morire.
Consigliatissimo, da recuperare assolutamente.
P. S. Se decidete di leggere questo manga vi consiglio di togliere la sovracoperta al secondo volume, perché sul fronte e sul retro della copertina ci sono due tavole molto importanti che si collegano alla parte finale della storia.
Tre liceali si danno appuntamento in un aerodromo abbandonato per accendere dei fuochi d'artificio e incontrare così il fantasma dell'estate, ovvero lo spirito di una giovane donna che, si dice, sia morta suicida.
Da quel momento le esistenze dei tre ragazzi e del fantasma si intrecciano indissolubilmente, fino al doloroso finale, perché il fantasma dell'estate si mostra solo a chi sta per morire.
Consigliatissimo, da recuperare assolutamente.
P. S. Se decidete di leggere questo manga vi consiglio di togliere la sovracoperta al secondo volume, perché sul fronte e sul retro della copertina ci sono due tavole molto importanti che si collegano alla parte finale della storia.
August 3, 2024
Vi prego, emana una tristezza incredibile… I due manga in sè sono molto ‘belli’ nel loro modo perchè comunque è un invito a non suicidarsi per la prima cosa triste che ci accade perchè c’è sempre qualcun altro che se la sta vivendo peggio di te.
POI PERCHE’ MI AVETE FATTO MORIRE RYO, VI PREGO NON POTEVATE NON FAR MORIRE NESSUNO DEI TRE, NO AFFORZA RYO QUELLO A CUI MI ERO AFFEZIONATA GIUSTAMENTE.
POI PERCHE’ MI AVETE FATTO MORIRE RYO, VI PREGO NON POTEVATE NON FAR MORIRE NESSUNO DEI TRE, NO AFFORZA RYO QUELLO A CUI MI ERO AFFEZIONATA GIUSTAMENTE.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2023
Absolutely beautiful
If you’ve ever gone through a really depressive episode or wanted to end it all….you will relate to this…if you’re having those feelings now…I hope you read this and I hope you look at life just even a little bit differently…please live your life, it really is beautiful
If you’ve ever gone through a really depressive episode or wanted to end it all….you will relate to this…if you’re having those feelings now…I hope you read this and I hope you look at life just even a little bit differently…please live your life, it really is beautiful
May 13, 2024
It was very well done, eerie at points, emotional, cute, and speaks to those who struggle to fit in, especially in high school.
CW:
CW:
July 14, 2025
Chưa bao giờ mình đọc một bộ manga xuất sắc đến như vậy
Đề tài mà bộ truyện đề cập không mới nhưng cũng chưa bao giờ cũ. Một nỗi buồn man mác hay phải nói là sự ngột ngạt cuốn lấy cả câu chuyện từ khi bắt đầu đến những trang cuối cùng. Một sự ngột ngạt mà đầy đẹp đẽ, đầy tình tế đến ảnh ảnh.
Mình đã khóc khi chỉ mới đọc được một nửa, không phải khóc thút thít, khóc nấc lên mà cái nỗi buồn ấy cứ đâm sâu vào trái tim mình, mình cứ khóc âm ỉ từ đầu đến cuối truyện. Người mình lúc đọc cứng đờ cả, mắt mờ cả, cổ họng khô khốc và như có ai thắt chặt lại, vai mình nặng trĩu như có gì đè lên.
Mình như được nhập vai vào chính các nhân vật, được cảm nhận được những cảm xúc, những đam mê và cả những nỗi đau của họ và như thấy một phần chính mình trong đó. Từ sự bất lực của Ryo, sư ngột ngạt và sự bất lực của Tomoya, sự nhịn nhục chịu đựng của Aoi và đến cả thái độ bình thản đến kì lạ của Ayane.
Mình như chìm đắm trong một thế giới khác, quên đi thực tại và mê say trong câu chuyện ấy.Đọc mà mắt mình không ngừng rưng rưng, không ngừng khóc, chưa bao giờ vì một bộ truyện hay quyển sách nào mà mình khóc nhiều đến vậy. Sau khi đọc nó vẫn vang lên trong mình như một nỗi ám ảnh, một câu nói không phải lần đầu tiên nghe nhưng vẫn khiến mình suy ngẫm không thôi:
"Liệu mình có đang thực sự sống?"
Đề tài mà bộ truyện đề cập không mới nhưng cũng chưa bao giờ cũ. Một nỗi buồn man mác hay phải nói là sự ngột ngạt cuốn lấy cả câu chuyện từ khi bắt đầu đến những trang cuối cùng. Một sự ngột ngạt mà đầy đẹp đẽ, đầy tình tế đến ảnh ảnh.
Mình đã khóc khi chỉ mới đọc được một nửa, không phải khóc thút thít, khóc nấc lên mà cái nỗi buồn ấy cứ đâm sâu vào trái tim mình, mình cứ khóc âm ỉ từ đầu đến cuối truyện. Người mình lúc đọc cứng đờ cả, mắt mờ cả, cổ họng khô khốc và như có ai thắt chặt lại, vai mình nặng trĩu như có gì đè lên.
Mình như được nhập vai vào chính các nhân vật, được cảm nhận được những cảm xúc, những đam mê và cả những nỗi đau của họ và như thấy một phần chính mình trong đó. Từ sự bất lực của Ryo, sư ngột ngạt và sự bất lực của Tomoya, sự nhịn nhục chịu đựng của Aoi và đến cả thái độ bình thản đến kì lạ của Ayane.
Mình như chìm đắm trong một thế giới khác, quên đi thực tại và mê say trong câu chuyện ấy.Đọc mà mắt mình không ngừng rưng rưng, không ngừng khóc, chưa bao giờ vì một bộ truyện hay quyển sách nào mà mình khóc nhiều đến vậy. Sau khi đọc nó vẫn vang lên trong mình như một nỗi ám ảnh, một câu nói không phải lần đầu tiên nghe nhưng vẫn khiến mình suy ngẫm không thôi:
"Liệu mình có đang thực sự sống?"
October 8, 2023
So much pain and suffering.
November 21, 2023
Absolutely loved reading this. The artwork is stunning, the story discusses themes of suicidal ideation, murder and death, and characters finding their raison d'être. Couldn't put it down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2024
shout out to all the people still fighting for their lives
you guys are worth every last breath, yall were put on the earth for a reason <3
you guys are worth every last breath, yall were put on the earth for a reason <3
June 1, 2024
3.5 stars
August 31, 2024
Mi ha ricordato le sceneggiature di Makoto Shinkai, mescolate alla melanconia di Haruki Murakami. 🥲 La perfetta lettura di chiusura estate.
October 4, 2024
Bro what the heck
October 13, 2024
Delightfully spooky and life-affirming.
December 30, 2023
4.5 stars!
May 12, 2024
Rating: 4/5 stars
I picked this up at a bookstore hoping it would bring me out of a reading slump. I wanted something different and interesting that I could read in a few sittings.
Overall, this ended up being the perfect solution to my problem! The art style of this manga was simple and delicate, but lovely nonetheless. It was very easy on the eyes, which made it effortless to dive into the story.
The plot was pretty straightforward. It followed the lives of three high school students who are searching for a ghost that shows up only at the light of a firework in the summer. Each student has their own separate reasons for wanting to see the ghost. The story gives us a glimpse into each of their difficult personal lives, and their relationships with one another. I think the author did a nice job at showing how different people deal with the hardships in their lives. The story was also wrapped up quite nicely at the end and overall, had a good message.
I picked this up at a bookstore hoping it would bring me out of a reading slump. I wanted something different and interesting that I could read in a few sittings.
Overall, this ended up being the perfect solution to my problem! The art style of this manga was simple and delicate, but lovely nonetheless. It was very easy on the eyes, which made it effortless to dive into the story.
The plot was pretty straightforward. It followed the lives of three high school students who are searching for a ghost that shows up only at the light of a firework in the summer. Each student has their own separate reasons for wanting to see the ghost. The story gives us a glimpse into each of their difficult personal lives, and their relationships with one another. I think the author did a nice job at showing how different people deal with the hardships in their lives. The story was also wrapped up quite nicely at the end and overall, had a good message.
October 8, 2023
i was not expecting this to be such a dark little story, but these kids are my children now, i love them
September 12, 2023
A good reminder that others struggle with their own crosses, even (or especially) when they put a smile on their face. Treat others with kindness and compassion 🖤
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews